Kumla. Already at a practice match in Kumla, NHL scouts began to flock to Leo Carlsson.
The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks were there to see the 17-year-old Orebro talent.
“It will be a new situation for us, this club has never produced a player like this before,” says Ludwig Andersson, Director of Communications.
Leo Carlson scored one of the goals when Örebro lost 4-3 in a training match against him HV71 in Kumla.
In pre-season, he scored two goals and three assists in five training matches with Örebro, as well as four goals and two assists in three matches with Junior Krona in the new start of the pre-season championship in Finland.
Many experts believe he will be one of the top picks in the NHL Draft next summer.
Such large prospects typically attract flocks of NHL scouts to SHL games during the season, creating a challenge for Orebro to accommodate them in the arena.
Compared to the surprise
“I can’t help but get some ‘Mats Sundin light’ vibes when I see Leo Carlson playing sometimes,” Elitprospect founder Johan Nilsson said on Twitter.
– We see his potential, but even if he’s a great talent, SHL is a tough league for a 17-year-old. The talent is the speed of thinking and how he perceives situations on the ice, he is quick to deal and can transfer these qualities into action. Seeing the little things in hockey is the difference in the best players. Leo Carlson can be really good, but it has a lot to do with how great he is in terms of both physical strength and mental strength. We won’t know until it’s tested. Players like Peter Forsberg and Mats Sunden had the mental ability to keep playing when it mattered most and then be at their best. Leo Carlson may have it, but we don’t know it yet, says Orebro coach Niklas Ericsson.
He gets a lot of confidence
Leo Carlson is currently playing in the first series with midfielder Rodrigo Apoles and fellow striker Matthias Bromme.
He was also included in the first Power Play lineup alongside Rodrigo Apoles, Mathias Brome, Emil Larsson and Philip Holm.
Orebro led 3-0 against HV71 before the third inning, but lost 4-3 in overtime.
– We did a couple of sprints high and fast and it seemed like we wanted to do it, and then we got overconfident and were careless. When they were able to continue their game, we became passive. If it had been a straight game, we would have lost two points, if we could learn something from that in a practice match, that’s fine, says Niklas Ericsson.
Signed as a strong point-producing striker, Petros Palmo scored his first two goals in training matches, two elegant shots on the wrist.
Örebro plays the SHL’s representative on the ground against Växjö on Friday night.
At SHL’s premiere next Saturday, Linköping is waiting at home.